Skip to main content
PMC home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1974 Oct;27(4):683–692.

Quantification and distribution of chicken immunoglobulins IgA, IgM and IgG in serum and secretions

Anne-Marie Lebacq-Verheyden, J-P Vaerman, J F Heremans
PMCID: PMC1445738  PMID: 4215742

Abstract

IgA was found to be present in chicken serum in a concentration of 0.33 mg/ml, thus representing less than 4 per cent of total immunoglobulins. Of this amount, about 20 per cent appeared to be monomeric, most of the rest consisting of polymers greater than dimers.

The average concentration of IgM in chicken serum was found to be 2.55 mg/ml. This comprised a small, hitherto undetected, monomeric fraction.

IgA predominated in absolute amounts over other immunoglobulins in chicken bile and intestinal secretions, but not in saliva, tears and seminal plasma. In relative terms, however, every external secretion investigated was selectively enriched in IgA, as evidenced by a (IgA secretion)/(IgA serum):(IgG secretion)/(IgG serum) ratio greater than one.

Full text

PDF
688

Images in this article

687FIG. 3
on p.687

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aitken I. D., Parry S. H. Stimulation of lachrymation and salivation in the adult fowl (Gallus domesticus). Res Vet Sci. 1972 Sep;13(5):482–488. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bienenstock J., Perey D. Y., Gauldie J., Underdown B. J. Chicken A: physicochemical and immunochemical characteristics. J Immunol. 1973 Feb;110(2):524–533. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bienenstock J., Perey D. Y., Gauldie J., Underdown B. J. Chicken immunoglobulin resembling A. J Immunol. 1972 Aug;109(2):403–406. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Clem L. W., Small P. A., Jr Phylogeny of immunoglobulin structure and function. I. Immunoglobulins of the lemon shark. J Exp Med. 1967 May 1;125(5):893–920. doi: 10.1084/jem.125.5.893. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Grey H. M., Abel C. A., Yount W. J., Kunkel H. G. A subclass of human gamma-A-globulins (gamma-A2) which lacks the disulfied bonds linking heavy and light chains. J Exp Med. 1968 Dec 1;128(6):1223–1236. doi: 10.1084/jem.128.6.1223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kincade P. W., Cooper M. D. Development and distribution of immunoglobulin-containing cells in the chicken. An immunofluorescent analysis using purified antibodies to mu, gamma and light chains. J Immunol. 1971 Feb;106(2):371–382. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kincade P. W., Cooper M. D. Immunoglobulin A: site and sequence of expression in developing chicks. Science. 1973 Jan 26;179(4071):398–400. doi: 10.1126/science.179.4071.398. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lebacq-Verheyden A. M., Vaerman J. P., Heremans J. F. A possible homologue of mammalian IgA in chicken serum and secretions. Immunology. 1972 Jan;22(1):165–175. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lebacq-Verheyden A. M., Vaerman J. P., Heremans J. F. Immunohistologic distribution of the chicken immunoglobulins. J Immunol. 1972 Sep;109(3):652–654. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Leslie G. A., Clem L. W. Phylogen of immunoglobulin structure and function. 3. Immunoglobulins of the chicken. J Exp Med. 1969 Dec 1;130(6):1337–1352. doi: 10.1084/jem.130.6.1337. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Leslie G. A., Crandall R. B., Crandall C. A. Studies on the secretory immunological system of fowl. II. Immunoglobulin-producing cells associated with mucous membranes. Immunology. 1971 Dec;21(6):983–987. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Leslie G. A., Martin L. N. Studies on the secretory immunologic system of fowl. 3. Serum and secretory IgA of the chicken. J Immunol. 1973 Jan;110(1):1–9. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Leslie G. A., Wilson H. R., Clem L. W. Studies on the secretory immunologic system of fowl. I. Presence of immunoglobulins in chicken secretions. J Immunol. 1971 Jun;106(6):1441–1446. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mancini G., Carbonara A. O., Heremans J. F. Immunochemical quantitation of antigens by single radial immunodiffusion. Immunochemistry. 1965 Sep;2(3):235–254. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(65)90004-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Marchalonis J. J., Edelman G. M. Phylogenetic origins of antibody structure. 3. Antibodies in the primary immune response of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. J Exp Med. 1968 May 1;127(5):891–914. doi: 10.1084/jem.127.5.891. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Marchalonis J., Edelman G. M. Phylogenetic origins of antibody structure. I. Multichain structure of immunoglobulins in the smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis). J Exp Med. 1965 Sep 1;122(3):601–618. doi: 10.1084/jem.122.3.601. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Orlans E., Rose M. E. An IgA-like immunoglobulin in the fowl. Immunochemistry. 1972 Aug;9(8):833–838. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(72)90262-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Solomon A., McLaughlin C. L. Biosynthesis of low molecular weight (7S) and high molecular weight (19S) immunoglobulin M. J Clin Invest. 1970 Jan;49(1):150–160. doi: 10.1172/JCI106214. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES